SGN Apr 20, 2018 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

China’s Weibo drops Gay ban after mass protests

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Within 48 hours of announcing it was removing LGBT content from its website, the Chinese social media giant Sina Weibo reversed itself in the face of mass protests by users.

Weibo is sometimes called “China’s Twitter equivalent,” but with an estimated 390 million users – compared to 200 million for Twitter – it might be more accurate to say that Twitter is the Western equivalent of Weibo.

see WEIBO page 13

GLAAD honors Britney Spears, Jim Parsons and the Best of Gay Media

by MK Scott

SGN Contributing Writer

I was on hand in person covering the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Red Carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA on Thursday, April 12. I had a chance to chat with many personalities and will share those soon. However, the main action was on stage during the awards with Adam Rippon locking lips with fellow athlete, Gus Kenworthy. Hosted by Wanda Sykes, award recipients were announced in 12 of this year’s

see GLAAD AWARDS page 4

Push anti-LGBTQ legislation and we will come for you on Election Day

by Chad Griffin Human Rights Campaign

Over the years, the ballot box has been a battleground for LGBTQ equality and our most fundamental rights. For decades, anti-LGBTQ forces have worked to repeal non-discrimination ordinances that provide protections for our community at the local level. In dozens of states, these groups worked to ban same-sex marriage at the ballot box, sometimes even succeeding in enshrining these bans in state constitutions. More recently, our opponents have run

see GRIFFIN page 6

GRIFFIN

smear campaigns designed to scare voters into taking away protections from transgender Americans.

But today, change is taking hold across this country. Americans are using their vote as a voice for equality. [Two weeks ago], Anchorage voters showed us just how far we’ve come.

On Friday [April 13], Anchorage certified election results that cemented the defeat of Proposition 1, a vicious measure, pushed by anti-LGBTQ extremists, aimed at rescinding municipal protections for transgender people in Alaska’s most populous city. In defeating this despicable measure, voters sent a clear message to the rest of the country that discrimination has no home in Anchorage, in Alaska, or anywhere in America.

This is a victory for fairness and equality that gives us hope, and a path forward.

Working in coalition, Human Rights Campaign joined with Fair Anchorage, local and national advocacy organizations, and transgender leaders in Anchorage to fight back against this discriminatory proposition. And we won.

We’re grateful to all those in the business community who opposed Proposition 1 and to the prominent Democrats and Republicans – including both senators from Alaska – who cast their own ballots against this cruel measure.

In Anchorage in the final run up to Election Day, the members of a grassroots movement were determined to tell that world that this measure is not what Anchorage supports. Their grit and tenacity in the face of bigotry and long odds filled me with hope. And it was the hard work of these local leaders and advocates – the thousands of calls made, the doors they knocked, the conversations they had with members of the community – that resulted in this big win.

This victory has consequences beyond Alaska’s borders. Anchorage joins a grow-

ing list of cities and states that have shut down extremists at the ballot box. The city has delivered yet another high-profile rejection of the vile anti-transgender attacks that our opponents have resorted to all across America.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen how these attacks fail when informed voters see through the smears. Anti-trans attacks didn’t work in North Carolina – just ask Pat McCrory, the first North Carolina governor to lose re-election in more than 150 years. They didn’t work in Virginia – ask Bob Marshall, who lost his seat to trailblazing transgender state legislator Danica Roem last November. And now, these attacks have failed in Anchorage, too.

But that doesn’t mean our opponents are going away. They’re behind an initiative that will be on the ballot in Massachusetts this November that would strip away statewide protections for transgender people. And in Montana, our opponents are attempting to put a discriminatory measure on the ballot mirroring North Carolina’s

HB2 law. These attacks must stop, and it is on us to stop them.

So let’s learn from our victories, like the victory in Anchorage. We have to continue to lift up the voices of transgender advocates and their families to inoculate voters against the lies our opponents spread. We have to organize and mobilize. We have to build coalitions and stand together. If we do that, we can win.

And as we continue to prove – from North Carolina, to Virginia, to Alaska – if you come for us, we will come for you on Election Day.

Chad Griffin is the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization.

Courtesy of the HRC

This editorial first appeared in The Hillhttp://thehill.com/social-tags/chad-griffin.

GSBA New Member & Volunteer Appreciation

Cruise on April 18, 2018

WWU Queer Con in Bellingham April 28

WWU Queer Con, a queer comic and geek-ery themed convention at Western Washington University will be returning for its second year on April 28. This event is being organized by a group of dedicated queer people who want to create a space to celebrate queer and LGBT+ identity, creativity, and community.

OBITUARY

“I Remember Mama” IN MEMORIAM: Sandra Paulson

July 21, 1953 – April 17, 2018

by Ken Campbell SGN Contributing Writer

Last Monday morning at 8:35 a.m., my beloved mother Sandra Paulson departed this world. In tribute to the lady who made me, I thought I would offer you readers a taste of who this woman was. Though, I should warn you, she was no Mrs. Cleaver. Not even close.

My mother had the face of an angel, even though she was anything but. Growing up, all of my little neighborhood cohorts had crushes on her. She reveled in the fact that no one ever believed she could have a son who was my age. This was due to her having me at the tender age of 17, in addition to her natural attractiveness. But Mom wasn’t just another pretty face. She was definitely a character and a force to be reckoned with, if you crossed her. One of my earliest memories is of watching my mother’s notion of justice in action. Due to some squabble she’d had with the lady next door, she decided the way to balance the scales would be to take the ketchup and mustard dispensers from the fridge and “decorate” the poor woman’s laundry which was hanging out to dry. Mom had an unintentional flair for slapstick comedy and, as you might have guessed, a bit of an impulse control problem.

Most of my childhood was spent growing up in the projects of White Center, where it was not uncommon for parents to allow their kids to roam the neighborhood unchecked to cause trouble. Somewhere around 3rd or 4th grade, I recall being bullied by one of the older and much larger neighborhood kids in my very own front yard. His timing was poorly chosen, however, because it was around this time my mother would return home from work. I remember watching her car as it came screeching to an abrupt halt in the driveway. And in true mother bear fashion, she leapt from the vehicle, her eyes blazing with fury and fixed on the neighborhood bully who stood frozen like a deer in headlights as she closed in on him. Seizing the boy by the hair at the back of his head, she gave a yank so his face was forced skyward. She leaned in slowly, and through clenched teeth, icily said “Show me where you live.” Then, she led the boy home, never releasing her grip on his locks while he whimpered and pointed the way with a trembling hand. She was my superhero that day. Needless to say, the bully in question gave our yard a wide berth after that.

But Mom could also be merciful if she

wanted to be, which she demonstrated during another incident. I remember some friends and I were playing on a nearby construction site and I was curious to see if cartoon physics applied to real life by creating a makeshift teeter-totter with a 2x4, placing a large rock on one end and jumping onto the other end. The improvised catapult worked. The rock was launched directly into the eye of my best friend’s little brother, who happened to be standing over it at the time. He wailed in pain while he clutched his eye and did a frantic dance in place before running home to tell his mother, who I knew would soon be telling mine. I flew home in a panic, which I unsuccessfully tried to mask as I entered the house. My mother asked me if anything was wrong, and I deflected the question with a blank-eyed stare of innocence without a reply. Minutes later, there came the firm knock at the door of an angry parent. My mother opened the door to reveal my

best friend’s little brother with one of the most horrific black-and-purple shiners I’d ever seen, as well as his morbidly obese and extremely cross mother. After his mom gave my mom the lowdown on my crime, I remember my mother placating her with reassurances that I would be punished for the misdeed. Then my mother closed the door and turned to face me, arms crossed, her brow knit in anger. My heart was filled to the brim with dread over the fate that awaited me. Then, to my absolute astonishment, she broke into fits of laughter. I really couldn’t tell you why, but she found the whole situation to be absolutely hysterical. As I recall, my punishment was surprisingly mild. My mother had a robust, albeit occasionally, inappropriate sense of humor.

My mother most famously became known for her “Pat Benatar” impersonation amongst the neighborhood kids. One day, a whole slew of us were playing in the yard when we looked up and saw my mother

furiously “shaking her shimmy” as she flew past the living room window to the tune of “Love is a Battlefield”. I don’t think she realized she had an audience at the time, but tales of that hysterical moment live to this day. She would never win Mother of the Year. That’s for sure. But she was mine. The bond between mothers and sons is unique in its strength and longevity, and mine loved me with a ferocity that was matched only by my love for her. Losing someone close to me is a new experience, so I’m learning as I go. Losing a mother is on an entirely different level. It’s an experience we all go through once in our lives. Very few things we’ll experience in life have the ability to break our hearts this deep; the sense of loss is palpable. But the void left behind by their passing is almost immediately filled by the love that was shared with them. Goodbye, Mom. I’ll miss you like oxygen. You’ll be in my heart until it beats its last.

HRC mourns loss of pioneering LGBTQ advocate Donna Red Wing

WASHINGTON – [On April 17], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, released the following statement mourning the loss of Donna Red Wing:

“The HRC family is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, Donna Red Wing. She dedicated her life’s work to civil rights, and her legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of the LGBTQ equality movement,” said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “Many in the HRC family had the honor of working alongside Donna during her time as HRC’s National Field Director and across many states and campaigns in more recent years. For more than three decades, generations of advocates bore

witness to Donna’s tenacity, deep commitment to equality and justice, and her many accomplishments, which inspired all those around her. Our hearts go out to Donna’s family and many friends who are grieving her loss.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

Chicago’s spoken word artist Avery R. Young performs on April 26 at the Central Library

Chicago’s spoken word legend Avery R. Young will perform work that spans the many genres of music, performance, visual arts and literature from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium, 206-386-4636.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.

Young uses his talents to speak stories of turmoil turned to triumph. By examining Black American history and culture, his artistry celebrates social justice, equity, queer identity, and body consciousness while challenging misogyny, racism and homophobia. Young melds history, culture and art, blending phonetics, linguistics, hymns, jazz and hip hop in his work. His influences include James Brown, Nina Simone and Gil Scott Heron.

Best known as a poet, songwriter and performer, Young is also an award-winning

teaching artist who mentors youths in creative writing and theater. He has been an Arts and Public Life artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago, and has written curriculum for Columbia College Chicago, Young Leeds Authors, True Star Magazine and Chicago Public Schools Art Integration Department. Young’s poems and essays on HIV awareness, misogyny, race records and art integration have been published in The BreakBeat Poets, The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks, AIMPrint and other anthologies. Young has performed at the Hip Hop Theatre Festival, Lollapalooza, WordStock and has appeared on BET, MTV, ABC and WGN’s “Morning News”.

This event is presented in partnership with University of Washington Bothell.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

Seattle Queer Urbanist StoryTellers to host fundraiser for LGBTQ Allyship on April 27

Seattle Queer Urbanist Storytellers (SQUS) is hosting a fundraiser for LGBTQ Allyship on Friday, April 27 from 8pm-10pm. LGBTQ Allyship builds power among LGBTQ communities and allies in Washington state to work towards economic, racial, and gender justice. We do this through community organizing, education, advocacy, and developing grassroots leadership in solidarity with other marginalized communities. SQUS is a new group that is forming to celebrate being LGBTQ in cities. Suggested donation is $10 to $50; no

one turned away due to lack of funds. The goal for the evening is $1,000.

The event will be held in a private home, a light scent/scent free household, with five steps to living room, NW U-District near Metro #45 and #67 bus lines. All are welcome; please be mindful to center queer voices at the event and be open and kind if called in. The event will include lots of different vegan and gluten free options and lots of pie and ice cream. This is an alcohol and cannabis friendly event. Directions to home will be provided

with RSVP to seayimby@gmail.com.

Kids are welcome, but please let us know ahead of arriving so we can provide childcare activities and keep Laura’s dog in a separate space. Musicians are welcome to bring instruments! Bring your favorite poems and short stories to share about why you are nerdy about cities!

The house has 5-6 stairs to the front door. Please contact me if you have mobility issues and I will try to find a free ADA accessible location with a kitchen. We are a low scent home with a dog. Please do not

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Weibo said on April 13 that it would remove pornographic, violent, and LGBTthemed videos and cartoons over the next three months, singling out a genre of manga animations and comics that often depict Gay male relationships.

A Weibo administrator said the decision was part of an effort to make the online environment “clean and harmonious,” saying it had already “cleared” more than 56,000 violations and closed more than 100 accounts.

The announcement sparked a torrent of online protest. LGBT rights advocates poured online to criticize the decision using hashtags like #IamGay or #IamIllegal. Shares of Sina, Weibo’s parent company plummeted on the NASDAQ, losing 7% of their value before the stock exchange closed for the weekend.

Some of the most popular posts against Weibo’s ban came from the LGBT rights group The Voice of Gay. One of its posts was reposted tens of thousands of times by April 14, the official Chinese newspaper People’s Daily noted.

Well-known LGBT rights activist Pu Chunmei posted pictures of herself with her Gay son.

“My son and I love our country… we are proud to be Chinese!” she wrote. “But today I saw the announcement by Sina Weibo… as a source of news, it is discriminating and attacking minorities, and this is violence!”

Other criticisms came from regular

wear strong fragrances.

This event is to build community for Queer urbanists. If you identify as such, you are welcome. Friends and partners also welcome. No pets or children under 12... because my dog, Sydney, is old and reactive.

Feel free to send an email to seayimby@ gmail.com with any questions.

Courtesy of LGBTQ Allyship

people. A Weibo user named Shanghai Mei Jie, who said that her son is also Gay – and that they both love China too. She added that despite legal gains in recent years, millions of Chinese LGBT people still suffer from the effects of discrimination and a lack of understanding.

On April 15, People’s Daily, which often

speaks for the ruling Communist Party of China, published an editorial encouraging “tolerance towards Gay people” but adding that “vulgar” content must be removed regardless of sexual orientation. By April 16, Weibo folded and reversed its decision. After the reversal, the value of Sina’s shares jumped up more than 2% in

international trading.

Same-sex relations have been legal in China since 1997, but LGBT Chinese still encounter discrimination and social pressure to marry opposite-sex partners and have children.

religion &